


A Trip to the "Zoo"

by things_that_matter



Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [13]
Category: Call Me By Your Name (2017), Call Me By Your Name - All Media Types, Call Me by Your Name - André Aciman
Genre: Discipline, Domestic Bliss, Family Feels, Family Fluff, M/M, Punishment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:40:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28881105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/things_that_matter/pseuds/things_that_matter
Summary: Elio has planned a birthday surprise for Oliver, not an easy thing to do with a little Ollie running around.
Relationships: Oliver/Elio Perlman
Series: CMBYN: Life with Ollie [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2094873
Comments: 18
Kudos: 20





	A Trip to the "Zoo"

**Author's Note:**

> This is another new one. Better if read after “A Cooking Lesson,” but it’s not essential.

As Oliver followed the white flour footprints from the bedroom all the way to the kitchen, he talked silently and calmly to himself the entire way. The kitchen would be a mess. He knew this. It was okay. It was his birthday, and Elio and Ollie had prepared breakfast for him. Whatever mess they had made was made in love and could be cleaned up, he reminded himself. There is no need to spoil a perfectly pleasant day by worrying about...

Oliver was suddenly jarred out of his calming thoughts by what he saw when he reached the kitchen. Nothing could have prepared him for the disaster before him. Instead of white flour footprints, there was a white flour floor. The footprints now revealed the darker tile. It was like looking at a negative image. As he scanned his eyes upward, things only got worse. 

"We'll clean it up," came Elio's bright, happy voice behind him.

Oliver took a quick check of his facial expression before turning in the direction of Elio's voice. "It's fine, Elio," he said with a smile plastered onto his face. And it was.

"I mostly want to see the elephants!" Ollie sang out excitedly. "What do you mostly want to see?" the little boy asked, batting his eyelashes innocently. 

Oliver shook his head, trying not to think about the disaster that was now at his back. "Uh," he muttered. "I mostly want to see the elephants, too."

Ollie had a sly smile on his face that Oliver didn't quite know how to interpret. "Are you sure??" Ollie asked. He raised his eyebrows as he asked this.

"Sure. Elephants are cool," Oliver said absently.

"Yeah but are they your absolute favorite animal in the entire world?" Ollie probed.

Elio cleared his throat. Oliver turned in Elio's direction just in time to see Elio make eye contact with Ollie and then shake his head almost imperceptibly, just an inch one way, then the other.

Oliver stood, not thinking about the kitchen, definitely not thinking about the kitchen. "Maybe the... pandas?" Oliver finally answered, since Ollie didn't seem satisfied with his original answer.

Ollie suddenly looked like a sad, lost puppy. Oliver wondered what he'd said wrong. "Our zoo doesn't have pandas, Oliver," Ollie answered sadly. Then his face quickly lit up again and he excitedly chattered, "So, what's your second favorite animal in the entire world??" Oliver suddenly noticed the dried pancake syrup around Ollie's mouth and realized they were going to be taking a very hyper little boy to the zoo. But, it was fine. Totally fine.

Elio glanced at Ollie anxiously. He must be noticing the syrup, too, Oliver thought.

"Ollie, come help me clean the kitchen," Elio said, and Oliver noticed an edginess to his voice that he didn't understand. Ollie frowned, but Elio propelled him forward with a little pat to his back.

Soon, the kitchen was clean, everyone was dressed, and they were all walking out to the car. As Oliver clicked his key to unlock the car, Elio nervously interjected, "Oh, let me drive. It's your birthday." Elio punctuated this sentence by grabbing Ollie's hand and leading him toward his own vehicle. Oliver thought this somewhat strange behavior, because Elio knew that he actually preferred to drive. Elio's driving made him anxious. But, your birthday is no time to be selfish, Oliver decided.

As Elio drove them to the zoo, Oliver used the time to prep Ollie for the outing.

“Ollie, the zoo can be crowded, so be sure to stay with us at all times,” he began.

“Okay,” Ollie replied.

“If you can’t see us, we can’t see you, so you need to be actively making sure you can see us,” Oliver continued.

Elio groaned.

“What?” Oliver asked as he turned his head toward Elio, suddenly defensive.

“We just went over every bit of this three days ago after the big shopping fiasco,” Elio pointed out. He hated lectures.

Elio hadn’t helped the situation. If anything, it just inflamed the situation because Oliver looked at Ollie in the rear-view mirror and said sternly, “Yes, and that had definitely better not happen again.”

Ollie kicked Elio’s seat angrily, but then fixed Oliver with an angelic smile. “It won’t!” Ollie chimed sweetly.

Oliver was satisfied with this, though the kick hadn’t gone unnoticed. It was his birthday, though, so he decided to let it go.

A few miles passed quietly, but then Elio took a wrong turn. “Elio, you missed your turn,” Oliver blurted quickly, glancing back. Elio smiled slyly. “Ooops,” he said with a sugary sweet innocence to his voice.

“Yeah! Oops!” Ollie’s voice trilled out in echo.

Oliver twisted in his seat so that he could see both Elio and Ollie at once. “What’s going on?” Oliver asked, his suspicions mounting.

Elio just shrugged with the sexiest smile on his face. At the same time, Ollie burst into hysteric giggles.

“Whatever do you mean?” Elio said, waggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah!! What do ever you mean?” Ollie tried to mimic his brother. His words weren’t perfect, but he had the eyebrow waggling down, which made Oliver burst out laughing. Elio loved hearing Oliver laugh. He didn't laugh as freely as Elio and Ollie, so it was treasured when it occurred.

Soon, Elio pulled the car into the parking lot of the art museum. Oliver was speechless. He knew, of course, that the museum would open today, but the Grand Opening Event was by reservation only. He didn't think he would have the opportunity to go through until the following week at the earliest.

"Oh my," Oliver said, essentially speechless.

Ollie rolled into the floorboard in a fit of giggles.

"Hey, put on your seat-belt," Elio scolded. "You don't take it off until we say."

Oliver was too stunned to reprimand Ollie, and he didn't need to anyway because Ollie surprisingly listened to his brother.

"Elio, thank you," Oliver said before they got out of the car. His voice was heavy with an uncharacteristic gentleness.

Elio smiled, "Does this make you happy?"

Oliver nodded, and for a moment, the entire car was quiet and still.

"Sorry if you're sad about not seeing the elephants!" Ollie suddenly sang out. "I told Elio it's bad to lie but he really, really wanted to lie to you for your birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"


End file.
